Street Photography On Cheat Mode

This is quite possibly the most powerful yet portable camera you can currently buy. But, with a pricetag of around $3000, is this excellence or just extravagance? I tested the Sony A7CR for a few weeks to find out...

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📸 Sony A7CR 📸

📸 Sony 40mm f/2.5 G Lens 📸

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⏳ TIME STAMPS ⏳
Intro - @0:00
Size & Weight - @0:50
Hold-up. Wait a minute! - @1:51
Traveling Light - @2:38
Sans Joystick - @3:32
Things I Like - @4:45
El Sensor - @5:24
60mp Goodness - @5:35
The Drawbacks - @6:50
Storage - @7:45
Mechanical Shutter Limitations - @8:00
I Love This Camera, But... - @8:47

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⚠ PLEASE NOTE ⚠

All of the opinions expressed in this video are my own based on my personal experience whilst using the equipment/software featured. Whilst some videos may include paid sponsorship, I never allow manufactuers to dictate what I can or can't say about their product(s). Their money helps to cover the cost of video production, it does NOT buy my opinion.
My videos are designed to be both informative and entertaining and are made to the best of my abilities. I am only human so I do occationally make mistakes, and whilst corrections are always welcomed in the comments, please be polite and courteous and refrain from being a total cockwomble. 👍

#sonya7cr #streetphotographers #streetphotography

[alvaronavarro]

Great video! In my case I've been using the original A7C for 2 years now and I'm gonna upgrade to this one. The 61mpx sensor is a beast and if you like smol bodies like this one, this is the camera, and regarding the sensor you can use your primes up to 1.5x on APSC mode with a 26mpx output which is more than the 24mpx from the original one. I think it's worth buying despite the little caveats that could make you go buy the A7RV, but I don't need two card slots and the joystick. So I think Sony created the perferct camera. Cheers!

[robertschwarz]

The biggest advantage of this camera, is the aps c mode, 26mp.. If you set the file size to M raw lossless, you can go seamlessly between crop and FF. All your FF primes essentially become two lenses. Plus the size advantage when paired with excellent aps c glass like the Sigma 10-18, 18-50 f2.8, the Sony 70-350, you are all set. Plus there are so many FF small form lenses. I got the Sigma 45mm f2.8, so so tiny. I have two cameras in one with this a7cr.

[danfarmer_photo]

With respect to the file sizes, I shoot with the A7RV, with how many custom buttons there are, I was able to free up my 1, 2, 3 dial for Small, Medium, and uncompressed raw files. Absolute game changer. Here’s working example:

Shooting a gym for social media, shot all of these on small. Still huge files for social media output. Then, the owner asked for headshots of the staff as he wanted to print and frame them around the gym. Went to setting 2 and instantly shot medium files and they printed fantastically. Then, a special moment happened where a trainer, a special needs carer and the special needs client were setting up for a really big achievement with the clients mobility. I flipped the dial to three where I am using uncompressed RAW. I captured the moment where they were all elated and shared some tears of joy over the significance of the moment. I did this with the thought to show the gym owner and client, with a view to a large print. The carer now has this image blown up in his business location in a huge print for all to see. I was so glad I had the forethought to do this, but more importantly, knowing the value of this sensor really demonstrates the opportunity these large files, and the flexibility of the smaller files can bring.

I’d encourage anyone who doesn’t like editing the larger files to try this set up, and also to try the smaller ones. They are great to work with, and can save so much file space. ✌️

[xyphoto]

33MP was considered high resolution not long ago, and our wall space hasn't really increased. In the meantime, only Sony's marketing for high MP cameras has intensified :-) People don't understand that in most cases you don't get 61MP real resolution: you get a 61Mp file but the real details depend on a lot of things. First, even the best lenses have an optimal aperture value, often it is f5.6 in the tests. If you don't shoot there, you lose details (as the tests show; and even if you shoot at the optimal aperture, you lose details already in the mid frame and edges so you don't achieve the full 61MP). And the lower MP camera would be more tolerable about lens quality. Second, the diffraction softness is more visible on a higher resolution sensor at the same aperture. If you shoot at f11-16 typically required for landscapes on a 61Mp camera, you don't get 61MP details due to diffraction softness. There are other conditions that affect real details. If money is no object, a 61MP camera will still give you more details than a 33MP camera, but the real gain is smaller than 61-33=28. Similarly for cropping. In APSC mode you get a 26MP file, but the amount of real detail is going to be less.

[foveacreative]

Good, honest review. The joystick issue is particularly enlightening. Since getting a pair of A7IIIs in 2028, I've used AF tracking and recomposed for 99% of the photos I've taken. It's just so much faster (for me at least) than messing around with a joystick or the touch screen. After many years working with DSLRs, this comes naturally, but the great thing now is that there's no risk of losing your focus plane when you recompose. It's a great way to work!

Just a point on there being only one card. If you're a working photographer this can be scary. I'm hoping Sony will update Creators' App functionality for the A7CR, so you can record to cloud straight from the camera, like some other Sony models. This would mean full redundancy even with only one card. But in the meantime Tom, I'd suggest that rather than use high capacity cards, it's better to use multiple smaller cards (even though that means more card swapping), so you reduce the risk of losing everything if you experience a card failure. Better to lose a quarter of you images than all of them!

[RikMaxSpeed]

I’ve been shooting with this camera for 3 months now and have grown to love it. Takes a while to customise the menu options the way you like, find lenses that work well for you etc. The quality of the photos coming out of this thing is astounding, the best camera I’ve ever owned in 40 years of photography.

[bridoyal]

Thanks Tom, enjoyed the video. FWIW, APS-C mode is perfectly usable on the 33MP cameras including the A7CII. You still get 14MP which is plenty for what many of us do.

[sphaera]

I think the A7Cii is a more sensible choice... 33 MP is a lot of dots to work with, I think 60MP will be over kill for most, it is for me. If you need that much resolution, a Fuji GFX camera might be a better option IMO.

[goot]

Very good instincts on vital points & apt comparison. Very good as usual with bullet point of crucial facts figures specs & personal experience. Being a nice bloke doesn't hurt either, cheers & keep going 💪 keep it filmic & street focused 🛣️🎥📷📸

[JonathanRobinson]

I don’t understand the 61 mp criticisms. Leica has a lot of 60 mp cameras and no one laments over the file size.

[rickbiessman]

Based on my experience with the original A7C and me debating buying the A7C II since it came out, I think you did an excellent job going over this camera. The massive headroom for cropping in post, allowing you to take only one wide-ish prime is THE argument for me in favor of the A7CR. ...the price tag is THE argument against it. :D And even though video isn’t that important to me, the resolution options and resulting quality is another pro for the A7C II.

[FreeTechGenie]

I like the fact that it looks like any regular point n shoot camera, so you blend in more and not look like a 'protographer' with RIR or V. Also you can use APSC glass and still have 26mp on crop.

[iManiac]

40/2.5 is fantastic lens, bought it recently and its my favorite lens so far!

[duvalpenny]

I love my AC7, but that 61MP sensor is definitely tempting since I only shoot with primes. I think it's well worth the money.

[VynZography]

07:55 actually one way to combat only having one card slot is to use several smaller cards rather than one big one. That way if a card fails, you only lose the images on that one card.

[Martin-nuym]

I greatly enjoy using the A7CR with the 40 G. Other lenses I use it on for an easy carry are the 16-35 PZ and 70-200 G II. If I want a faster prime with me, I will add the ZA 55 to the mix.

[stevenwaldstein]

Thank you for the video. I’ve got the A7CR and I’m using mostly with the Sigma I series f/2 lenses even though I own the full series of GM primes from 14mm to 135mm and GMII zooms from 16mm to 200mm and others at 100-400 and 200-600. Typically Cary the 35/2, 65/2, and 90/2.8. Love its compact size so it’s a great camera to pair with my A1 or A7RV for travel as both a backup and as a solo camera when I really need to go light. Am wondering if the A7C II is better for low light though so I’m trying it as well. Very happy so far with the new 7C family as an add on to my other Sony bodies.

[merlincom]

A problem with a big (or a smaller) resolution is if you want to use a prime like the 40 mm and you want a digital tele you have to use processing with pc after shooting the pic. So you loose the fun while shooting!! Making a photo is to look at the object and see which object-camera distance is the best. Cheaper cams like the Sony 5100 has this button to crop in digitally. Why not these new cameras?

[UnknownResu]

I’m between the A7Riv vs the A7CR. I wish the cr had the tilt screen, I’m not a fan of having pull the screen aside to tilt it. It takes the small form factor away.

[SuperCrystallized]

Consider using the Lossless Compressed (L) size over the Compressed version. The file sizes are _very_ similar but give you more stops of dynamic range iirc.